The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is considering the implications of the disintegration of links within extended families that is causing those needing care to rely on government welfare systems rather than family.

Academy members and invited experts met at the Vatican over the weekend to begin a discussion on ways to strengthen "intergenerational solidarity", the traditional circle of caring that links grandparents, parents and children.

Mary Ann Glendon, US law professor and new president of the Academy, said the meeting aimed to examine the state of relations between generations in various parts of the world.

The examination included presentations on demographic and cultural changes as well as on the challenges facing government welfare systems. Academy members plan to continue the discussion in 2005, gathering suggestions from an international group of experts on how to forge new forms of solidarity, Glendon said.